How to Visit Marrakech During Christmas & New Year 2025 (With—and Without—the Crowds)
I am delighted to share this practical guide to navigating Marrakech during its busiest festive season, distilled from years of research into insider tips for quieter alternatives and crowd-free experiences.
A Note on Travelling to Marrakech During Christmas & New Year 2025
Marrakech will be exceptionally lively this festive season. More so than usual because the city is hosting eight Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches at the Grande Stade de Marrakech between 22 December 2025 and 10 January 2026.
Stadium location: 12 km north of Marrakech
Best nearby area to stay: Palmeraie (wide accommodation choice, from budget to luxury)
Offical Fan Zone: Bab Doukkala Square, on the western edge of the Medina, with big screens, music, activities, and live match atmosphere
Access: To enter the stadium and Fan Zone, you’ll need a Fan ID via the Yalla app (passport or ID required)
Expect a festive, energetic city—but with thoughtful planning, you can enjoy Marrakech without feeling overwhelmed.
Aside from AFCON, why Is Marrakech Tourism Booming in 2025?
Morocco has been heavily investing in tourism and infrastructure under its national Tourist Roadmap, aiming to welcome 26 million visitors by 2030, the year Morocco co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
But Marrakech would be popular even without the sporting spotlight. The city offers:
A rich, immersive culture
Mild winters that are perfect for outdoor experiences
A UNESCO-listed Medina full of souks, historic and cultural sites, and charming riads
Excellent international flight connections to Europe, the Middle East, and North America
A unique blend of authenticity, energy, and adventure
Recent improvements—such as multilingual signage, improved crowd-management systems, time-slot ticketing, and events like Night of the Museums—are designed to enhance the visitor experience as visitor numbers rise.
And also: Marrakech is an easy gateway to quieter escapes, from hiking in the Atlas Mountains to desert camps in the Agafay Desert, and camel rides in the Palmeraie.
How to Experience Marrakech Away from the Crowds
1. Choose Accommodation Based on Your Priorities
Before booking, ask yourself: What do I want to see, do, and feel?
If you want to explore the Medina on foot
Stay close to the areas you’ll visit most. Walkability can make a huge difference to how “crowded” the city feels.
Best area for easy access to key sites: Mouassine District
Near Bab Laksour & Bab Doukkala, two main gates ‘bab’ to the Medina
Ideal for Dar el Bacha, Le Jardin Secret, Souk Semmarine, and the boutiques and cafés of Rue Sidi Abdelaziz
Upmarket, calm by Medina standards, yet also walking distance to Djemma el Fna
Some of my favourite riads are in the Mouassine District, email me if you’d like my top 5 list!
If you want Medina access but not Medina chaos
Choose Kasbah or Mellah. You’ll be close to the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and the El Badi Palace, with excellent cafés and restaurants (for lunch and dinner) on Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid/el Kdim and Place des Ferblantiers. Read this blog for a handy overview of the Kasbah and Mellah districts.
If you prefer green spaces and resort-style calm
Stay in Palmeraie, Hivernage, and other areas just outside the city. These offer large gardens, pools, spas, golf, and a peaceful base away from the busy old city. Email me if you’d like my top 5 resort hotels list!
2. Rethink Café Culture
Tourist cafés around attractions (YSL Museum, Jardin Majorelle, Jemaa el Fna) get extremely crowded—and are priced accordingly. Personally, I prefer to walk a little further to discover more authentic, local neighbourhood cafés. Marrakech’s coffee scene is trending in 2025. Whilst I love the busy cafés overlooking the Djemma el Fna at sunset, when the square comes to life, it would not be my top recommendation for a mid-morning coffee; I prefer to discover more hidden cafés which serve delicious coffee with passion!
Looking for quieter cafés? Try these Hidden Coffee Spots in Marrakech for a round-up of some of our favourite specialty coffee shops in the Medina and Gueliz.
3. Pre-Book Popular Attractions
Highly crowded sites require advance booking. Thankfully, tickets for the Jardins Majorelle, YSL Museum, and Pierre Bergé Museum can now be purchased online in advance, with time slots allocated to spread out entry among visitors, making for a more enjoyable experience. The most popular times are 09.30 - 11.00 am and the last slot of the day, 5.00 pm. Book ahead to guarantee your preferred entry time and date.
Le Jardin Secret now offers online tickets valid for any time within a year. It still gets busy—arrive early or visit around lunch.
Ben Youssef Medersa will launch online ticketing soon. Busiest from 10:00–12:00 and late afternoon. Arrive for opening at 09:00 for the calmest experience.
4. Explore Quieter Museums & Galleries
If the classics feel overwhelming, try these more relaxed alternatives:
MACAAL – beautifully curated exhibition of contemporary African art
Riad Kniza’s private museum – by appointment (or stay at the riad) for a perfectly curated bite-sized, private museum
Morocco’s Culinary Arts Museum – excellent for Moroccan food lovers
Musée du Parfum - love this small museum; educational and enjoyable for nature and scent lovers. Book ahead for their ‘Make your own perfume’ workshop.
Independent art galleries in Gueliz
These niche museums and galleries offer depth, culture, and space to breathe.
5. Plan Your Day Strategically
Crowds follow predictable patterns. Given that most people visiting the tourist sites are tourists, mixing up your itinerary and going at different times can help. If you can, get to the places on opening, or before, to be first in line, you will enjoy shorter queues and places with fewer people. Use the busy times for other activities, such as a hammam or pool time, or book a workshop, e.g., a cooking class.
Peak times across most attractions
10:00–12:00 (after breakfast)
14:00–15:00 (post-lunch rush)
Quietest times
08:00–10:00 — my favourite ‘magical’ time to roam the Medina as it wakes, shards of light catching on street corners
12:30–14:30 — shorter queues as everyone is at lunch
Right at opening (09:00) — best for major monuments
If staying close to popular sites, visit them before breakfast and have brunch afterwards.
Weekends
Expect larger crowds. Use weekends for:
Atlas Mountains
Agafay Desert
Spa, hammam, or pool day
Timed-entry attractions
6. Eat Where Locals Eat
For street food:
Jemaa el Fna at night (noisy, lively, delicious). Try the classic tangia, meat and spices stewed slowly in a clay urn on charcoal embers
Street stalls around Bab Doukkala are also excellent
For restaurants
Marrakech ranks as one of Time Out’s World’s Best Cities for Food for 2024 and 2025. For popular dining spots, pre-book during the festive season. People love Marrakech’s restaurant scene for its authentic candlelit riad-courtyard Moroccan dining experiences as well as its modern fine dining, with famed chefs from all over the world bringing international cuisine from Asia to Australia to the city. For popular restaurants, book ahead to secure your table and preferred time and date. Email me for personalised ‘best restaurants in Marrakech for 2025’ tips!
Mizaan (left) and Otto (right)
7. Book Immersive Experiences in Advance
Marrakech is buzzing with unique travel experiences. Nowadays, there are artisan workshops for all areas of interest, from Arabic calligraphy, rug weaving, ceramics, to cookery, bread-making, and embroidery. Spending time with artisans in their workshops is a lovely way to learn and connect across cultures. A few recommendations are listed below. For a more personalised itinerary, email me, and let’s book a travel planning call!
Recommended:
Book a cookery class with your riad for an at-home experience
Join one of the daily cookery classes at the Moroccan Culinary Arts Museum (Kasbah)
For a country farmhouse cookery experience, check out Lalla Zehra, 30 km drive south of the city
Insiders Marrakech vintage side-car tour — a unique way to explore the city
8. Retreat to the spa for a hammam ritual
Traditionally, each neighbourhood has a public hammam, like Hammam Mouassine, a 17th-century building on Rue Sidi el Yamani. Here, you will get the authentic, very basic hammam experience. Bear in mind that, depending on the time of day, the public hammam can get very busy. Nowadays, it’s possible to find more tourist-friendly hammams in most districts, so check which is closest to where you are staying and book an appointment. Le Bain Bleu would be a great example, and price-wise, somewhere in the middle of a public hammam and the luxury spas mentioned below. Here, a traditional hammam ritual costs MAD350/EUR35 (45 minutes).
My favourite hammam experiences, when I want to escape the crowds, are those in small luxury hotel spas, where you can be assured of a private hammam experience. A couple of personal favourites would be Le Farnatchi Spa in the Medina, La Sultana in the Kasbah. Budget-wise, these are at the top-end, expect to pay MAD500 for a traditional hammam (45 minutes). Honestly, if you can afford it, do it! Say I sent you (-;
9. Embrace the Energy
At the end of the day, Marrakech is a place that people often remember for the energy. Marrakech is vibrant, intense, and alive.
With a little planning and the right mindset, the city becomes pure joy. Djemma el Fna is a nightly street party where there’s space for everyone —join around 17:00 and stay as long as the energy carries you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marrakech safe?
As a solo female traveller, I generally feel safe in Marrakech. A few tips:
Dress modestly (loose clothing, covered shoulders, below the knees)
Greet people warmly (“Salaam alaikum”)
Walk with purpose
Ask shopkeepers for directions if lost
Avoid quiet, unlit streets at night
Expect hassle around taxis and faux guides
Common scams:
Taxi overcharging
Fake guides
Pickpocketing in crowded souks. Keep belongings close and stay aware.
Tourist Police: +212 (0) 524 38 46 01. They are present across the Medina, often in plain clothes. If you need help, shout “POLICE!”
How do I navigate Marrakech taxis?
The taxi system in Marrakech can be very confusing. Here is a brief overview of the options.
Petit Taxis (yellow)
Maximum 3 passengers, plus the driver
Metered (no need to negotiate if the meter is used)
Can be shared
Flag down on the street, in the direction you’re headed
Carry small coins/ notes for easier payment
Grand Taxis (e.g., Dacia Lodgy)
Seat up to 6 passengers, plus the driver
Used for longer distances
Not metered → always agree on the price first
You can pay per seat or for the whole car
Carry small notes for easier payment
Tip:
The best advice is to ask at your accommodation for approximate prices, e.g., how much it will cost from here to X. Then you will know roughly what to expect, and can bargain confidently.
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